The Important Issue of Scars from Gynecomastia Surgery

All surgeries leave scars. Important factor to consider is this- which is the best site of incision that will give least visible incision marks (scars) from Gynecomastia surgery?

While considering the best cosmetic placement of incision site three factors need to be considered-

Will the scar be very visible even to a casual observer from front?

Can the incision be given in a naturally camouflaged site so that it is least visible?

How much small the incision can be for complete removal of glands?

In Gynecomastia surgery, the best site for incision to remove the mammary glands is in the peri-areolar (areola is the small dark circle around the nipple) area, within the junction of dark skin of areola and the surrounding light skin. We feel the incision should not go beyond the boundary of areola irrespective of the size of the breast.

In our practice, we have never gone beyond the areola circle. The scar remains very well camouflaged at the junction of the dark skin with the light skin. Over a period of time, it gets lighter and lighter. Cosmetic results are always excellent. The following pictures illustrate this aspect.

PICTURES OF CORRECT INCISIONS & GOOD SCARS

The following examples are being given ONLY TO CONDEMN THEM. These are very bad placements of incision which no surgeon should ever give in Gynecomastia surgery.

It must be remembered that surgery lasts only a short time but scars last a lifetime.

PICTURES OF WRONG INCISIONS & BAD SCARS

We often see a large number of patients operated elsewhere, who have received such ugly scars. These young men came to us for a revision of previous surgery, removal of residual gland or fat tissue or removal of these scars. Revision surgeries are always difficult because previous surgery leaves behind a distorted anatomy, uneven tissue and bad scarring inside.